say and turn to the other cells. “Is there anyone in this group who thinks there is any other person in this group that they wouldn’t want with them if I let them out.”
The cells are silent and that says volumes. If they’re willing to go out into the dark with each other, with no possibility of help and a long way to travel, then none of them can really be that bad.
“Well, Jovan. This is what we’re going to do. I’m going to let these fine people out and they are going to leave without letting on that you’re in on this.” I turn to the cells and ask them, “Am I right about none of you making a peep?”
Murmurs of assent and nods all around are no less than I expected. Their other choices aren’t grand: death now or death in a day or less. Jovan doesn’t say a word either, so I decide to take that as assent to this very quick plan.
“After that, I’m going to make a big fuss dragging you out there and use you to get those other two in these cells. Then I’m going to make an even bigger fuss by hitting you in the head and locking you in the cell. After that, you will lay there like you are out for the count until the next watch comes in. You can do the rest, can’t you?”
He nods, but tentatively, so I ask him again,” You can do that, right?”
“Yeah, I can figure it out,” he says, sullenly. “Do you really have to hit me? Can’t you just lock me up?”
“It will give you a good reason not to talk. Since we’re good, let’s get started.”
Chapter Ten
There’s no clock in the cell block so that’s the first thing I look at when I go back out into the reception area. I can hardly believe that less than thirty minutes have passed since the midnight meet-up behind the Justice building. That’s good, but the truth is that even if we get till five in the morning before the alarm is raised, it’s not enough time.
I shove Jovan ahead of me and put him on his knees again, my gun very elaborately on his neck so the soldiers see me do it. Now that he’s playing along, I have to fight the urge to laugh at how badly Jovan plays prisoner. The taller of the two soldiers blanches, his eyes round, so his acting can’t be as bad as it looks to me. The shorter one glares at me like he wouldn’t object to knocking me around a little. I don’t blame him.
I jerk my head to bring my father over and he sidesteps over to me, a steady eye on the two soldiers looking miserable and defiant on the floor. They’re probably wondering how many strikes they’ll get for getting into this mess. I hope they’ll get none.
When he leans in I tell him what I’ve got planned and ask if he thinks all those brought in with him are safe to let go. He considers a second or two and I can see he’s really weighing everything.
“Maybe,” he says but his frown and furrowed brow tell me his answer isn’t as certain as I would like it to be.
He must see my uncertainty because he takes one hand from his gun, shoots a look at the two soldiers to let them know he hasn’t forgotten them, and then squeezes me on the shoulder. It’s a quick gesture, finished almost before I can enjoy it, but no less warm for having been so brief in duration. There’s no way he can know what that simple touch means to me.
“Let’s do it. It’s the best option we have,” he says quietly, and looks back at the soldiers, making ready for the next part of our increasingly elaborate act.
We both know that the danger of being outnumbered by all those in the cells once they’re free is probably the most significant we’ll face in this building at this point. My father moves to the other side of the room, where he can keep the soldiers and the entire path from the cell block to the door in view.
Connor clearly has no idea what’s going on and he still has the keys. I wave him over once I know my Dad is in position and ready, Maddix at his side. I give him the short version and I can feel the arguments welling up inside him, ready
The cells are silent and that says volumes. If they’re willing to go out into the dark with each other, with no possibility of help and a long way to travel, then none of them can really be that bad.
“Well, Jovan. This is what we’re going to do. I’m going to let these fine people out and they are going to leave without letting on that you’re in on this.” I turn to the cells and ask them, “Am I right about none of you making a peep?”
Murmurs of assent and nods all around are no less than I expected. Their other choices aren’t grand: death now or death in a day or less. Jovan doesn’t say a word either, so I decide to take that as assent to this very quick plan.
“After that, I’m going to make a big fuss dragging you out there and use you to get those other two in these cells. Then I’m going to make an even bigger fuss by hitting you in the head and locking you in the cell. After that, you will lay there like you are out for the count until the next watch comes in. You can do the rest, can’t you?”
He nods, but tentatively, so I ask him again,” You can do that, right?”
“Yeah, I can figure it out,” he says, sullenly. “Do you really have to hit me? Can’t you just lock me up?”
“It will give you a good reason not to talk. Since we’re good, let’s get started.”
Chapter Ten
There’s no clock in the cell block so that’s the first thing I look at when I go back out into the reception area. I can hardly believe that less than thirty minutes have passed since the midnight meet-up behind the Justice building. That’s good, but the truth is that even if we get till five in the morning before the alarm is raised, it’s not enough time.
I shove Jovan ahead of me and put him on his knees again, my gun very elaborately on his neck so the soldiers see me do it. Now that he’s playing along, I have to fight the urge to laugh at how badly Jovan plays prisoner. The taller of the two soldiers blanches, his eyes round, so his acting can’t be as bad as it looks to me. The shorter one glares at me like he wouldn’t object to knocking me around a little. I don’t blame him.
I jerk my head to bring my father over and he sidesteps over to me, a steady eye on the two soldiers looking miserable and defiant on the floor. They’re probably wondering how many strikes they’ll get for getting into this mess. I hope they’ll get none.
When he leans in I tell him what I’ve got planned and ask if he thinks all those brought in with him are safe to let go. He considers a second or two and I can see he’s really weighing everything.
“Maybe,” he says but his frown and furrowed brow tell me his answer isn’t as certain as I would like it to be.
He must see my uncertainty because he takes one hand from his gun, shoots a look at the two soldiers to let them know he hasn’t forgotten them, and then squeezes me on the shoulder. It’s a quick gesture, finished almost before I can enjoy it, but no less warm for having been so brief in duration. There’s no way he can know what that simple touch means to me.
“Let’s do it. It’s the best option we have,” he says quietly, and looks back at the soldiers, making ready for the next part of our increasingly elaborate act.
We both know that the danger of being outnumbered by all those in the cells once they’re free is probably the most significant we’ll face in this building at this point. My father moves to the other side of the room, where he can keep the soldiers and the entire path from the cell block to the door in view.
Connor clearly has no idea what’s going on and he still has the keys. I wave him over once I know my Dad is in position and ready, Maddix at his side. I give him the short version and I can feel the arguments welling up inside him, ready
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